Panel door with screw drive means



Sept. 10, 1963 M. M. BRODSKY PANEL DOOR WITH SCREW DRIVE MEANS Filed March 15, 1961 INVENTOR MICHAEL M. BRODSKY M H Y w AT TO R NEY United States Patent 3,103 246 PANEL DOOR WITH SUREW DRIVE MEANS Michael M. Brodsky, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Panel-Lift Door Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 95,287

1 Claim. (Cl. 160-188) This invention relates to a panel door with screw drive means. More particularly, this invention relates to a door structure comprising a plurality of successively movable panels with a screw drive means operatively connected to the lowermost panel.

A large number of door structures having a plurality of successively movable panels have been proposed heretofore. For various reasons, none of the door structures of this type have been commercially successful. One of the reasons why such door structures have not become commercially successful is because the lowermost panel is raised or lowered by means of a cable and no provision has been made for stopping the descent of the panels if the cable becomes ineifective for controlling the movement of the panels. Thus, such door structures do not provide positive control over the movement of the panels at all times.

The present invention is directed to a door structure having a plurality of successively movable panels which are raised and lowered by means of a rotatable, nonreciprocating drive screw connected to each end of the lowermost panel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a door structure having successively movable panels and means for positively controlling and operating the movement of said panels.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel door structure having a plurality of successively movable panels wherein the lowermost panel is operated by .a drive screw means.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a plurality of successively movable panels wherein the lowermost panel is screw driven by means of a motor controlled by limit switches so that said motor is rendered inoperative when said lowermost panel reaches the extremities of its reciprocatory movement. I

It is another object of the present invention to provide a door structure having a plurality of successively movable panels which is simpler and easier to manufacture than those proposed heretofore.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view taken along lines 22 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along lines 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 4 showing an alternative relationship between the drive screw and the lowermost panel.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 a panel doo-r designated generally as 10.

The panel door is designed to be mounted within an opening in a wall 11 or the like. As shown more clearly in FIGURES 2 and 3, the door 10 comprises a plurality of successively movable panels 12-22 and a fixed panel 24 reciprocably mounted within a frame. The frame comprises a pair of parallel side members 26 and 28. Each of the frame side members 26 and 28 are provided with a plurality of matched ribs 3040.

Each of the ribs 3040 differ in length with rib 30 being the longest and rib 40 being the shortest. Rib 30 extends the full length of the side members 26 and 28. Each of the side members 26 and 28 are provided with a lead rib. Side member 26 is provided with a lead rib 42 and side member 28 is provided with a lead rib 44.,

The panels 12'22 are successively moved in response to the movement of the lowermost panel 12. As the lowermost panel 12 is raised, a lip 46 on the panel 12 engages the lip 48 on the panel 14 so that the panels are raised successively. The panels 16-22 are provided with lips comparable to lips 46 and 48. The lowermost position of the panels 12-22 is determined by the length of their respective ribs and the interengagement of lips on the panels.

As shown more clearly in FIGURE 4, lip 46 on panel 12 is provided with a slot 50 which receives the rib 30. Preferably, the slot 50 is provided with a liner of selflubricating material such as Teflon. Each of the panels 1422 is likewise provided with a slot which receives its respective rib. The cooperation between the slots and ribs provides the means for guiding the reciprocatory movement of the panels.

The panel 12 is provided with a pair of spaced collars 52 and 54 secured to each end thereof. Each collar is fixedly secured to the panel 12 and is provided with a tapped hole extending therethrough. A non-reciprocating threaded drive screw 56 is positioned between the ribs 30 and 44 on the side member 28. The drive screw 56 extends through the tapped holes in the collars 52 and 54. The lowermost end of the drive screw 56 is mounted in a bottom bearing 58. The uppermost end of the drive screw 56 extends into a right angle 1:1 ratio gear box 60.

The drive screw 62, identical with drive screw 56, is positioned between lead rib 42 and rib 30 on the side member 26. The drive screw 62 is mounted in the identic-al manner as the drive screw 56. The lip 46 on the panel 12 is provided with a notch 64 adjacent each end thereof. As shown more clearly in FIGURE 4, the drive screw 62 is received within the notch '64. Likewise, the drive screw 56 is disposed within a similar notch at the righthand end of lip 46 in FIGURE 2. The uppermost end of the drive screw 62 extends into a right angle 1:1 ratio gear box 66.

The gear box 60 is mounted on the side member 28 by means of the bracket 68. The gear box 66 is mounted on the side member 26 by means of the bracket 70. A motor 72 is mounted on a top wall 74 which extends across the upper edge of the side members 26 and 28. The motor 72 is a double-end shaft motor having an overload reset and a magnetic brake. A drive shaft 76 connects the motor 72 to the drive screw 56 within the gear box 60. A drive shaft 78 connects the motor 72 with the drive screw 62 within the gear box 66. The motor 72 is provided with a limit switch 80.

FIGURE 5 discloses an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The panel 12' is provided with a lip 46'. The lip 46' is provided with a tapped hole 82 therethrough shown more clearly in FIGURE 5. The drive screw 62 is threadably engaged in the hole 82. This embodiment eliminates the need for the collars 52 and 54 and therefore is much simpler than the embodiments shown in FIGURES 1-4. It is to be noted that in each embodiment the lead drive screws 56 and 62 are threadably engaged with a portion fixed to the lowermost panel.

The present invention operates in the following manner:

Conventional lead wires and switches (not shown) are provided in any convenient location. Actuation of the switches directs current to the motor 72 thereby operating the same. The motor 72 rotates the drive shafts 76 and 78. The rotary movement of the drive shafts 76 and 78 is transmitted to the drive screws 56 and 62 by means of the gear boxes 60 and 66 respectively. The drive screws 56 and 62 are non-reciprocating. The rotary movement of the drive screws 56 and 62 cause the collars 52 and 54 to reciprocate therealong. The collars 52 and 54 are fixed to the panel 12 and therefore cannot rotate.

As the collars 52 and 54 reciprocate along the drive screws 56 and 62, the panel 12 reciprocates along the rib 30. In the upward movement of the panel 12 from its positionshown in FIGURE 2, the panel 12 moves upwardly until the lip 46 contacts the lip 48 on panel 14. Thereafter, panels 12 and 14 move as a unit upwardly until a lip on panel 14 contacts the lip on panel 16. The panels are successively raised in this manner until they reach the extent of their upward movement. At this time, the motor 72 is stopped by the limit switch 80. The limit switch '80 may be any one of a variety of commercially available switches. Preferably, the limit switch 80 is responsive to the rotations of the motor 72.

The downward movement of the panels is opposite to the movement described above. The downward movement of each panel is determined by the length of its respective rib. Since rib 30 extends for the full length of the side members 26 and 28, the lowermost panel 12 traverses the full length of the side members 26 and 28. Since successively moving panels for a door structure are per so old in the art, a further explanation pertaining to the reciprocation of the panels is not deemed necessary.

It should be noted that the longitudinal axis of the drive screws 56 and 62 is parallel to the plane of the panel 12. Therefore, the panel 12 is reciprocated along the rib 30 without any tilting which causes the rib 30 to frictionally engage with the slot 50. Therefore, the door 10 of the present invention is quieter and requires less lubrication than door structures proposed heretofore. Since the panels are reciprocating only as long as the drive screws '6 and 62 are rotating, there is no danger of the panels falling to their lowermost position due to a malfunction of the motor 72.

The door structure of the present invention provides for ease of maintenance and installation. The motor 72 is mounted on the top wall 74 and is readily accessible at all times. The gear boxes 60 and 66 are mounted in a position whereby they are accessible at all times for maintenance purposes. The drive screw 56 is preferably a lead screw having righthand threads with four threads to the inch. The drive screw 62 is preferably a lead screw 4 having 'lefthand threads with four threads to the inch. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that collar 54 may be eliminated if desired.

The embodiment shown in FIGURE 5 operates in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-4.

The panels 1222 are preferably made from a light weight material such as aluminum, plastic, etc. The frame side members 26 and 28 are likewise made from a lightweight material. The ribs 3040 may be integral with the side members or attached thereto in the manner shown in my copending application Serial No. 66,983, filed on November 3, 1960, and entitled Door Structure. If desired, the panels 1222 may be removable in the manner set forth in said copending application.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claim, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

In a door structure comprising a frame, a plurality of panels extending between matched side members on said frame, a separate channel on each side member guiding each panel in a manner so that said panels move in spaced parallel planes, engaging surfaces on said panels for cooperation with each other so that said panels are moved successively beginning with the lowermost panel, said engaging surfaces being lips projecting from the panels in a direction substantially perpendicular to and on opposite sides of the plane of its respective panel, a non-reciprocating rotatably mounted lead screw adjacent each end of the lowermost panel, the distance between the lead screws being less than the length of the lowermost panel, each lead screw being threadedly engaged with a lip on the lowermost panel, said lead screws having their longitudinal axes parallel to and in the plane of the channels for lowermost panel, a motor means operatively connected to one end of each lead screw, whereby rotation of said lead screw reciprocates said lowermost panel which in turn successively reciprocates the remaining panels due to contact between the lip on one panel and a lip on an adjacent panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

